The 1982–83 Phoenix Suns season was the 15th season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The Suns were in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, extending a then-franchise record. The Suns were eliminated in the first round two games to one by the Denver Nuggets, a team they had beaten by the same margin a year earlier. The Suns were led by head coach John MacLeod and played all home games in Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Walter Davis led the Suns in scoring with 19 points per game. Second-year player Larry Nance, who finished the season fourth in the NBA in blocks per game, was second in team scoring at 16.7, while fellow big man Maurice Lucas averaged a double-double with 16.5 points and 10.4 rebounds a contest. Lucas, a 30-year-old veteran who had played for four NBA teams and one ABA team before reaching the Suns, returned to his first All-Star Game after two seasons when he suited up with Phoenix. Point guard Dennis Johnson earned another spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Offseason
NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 15 David Thirdkill Forward Bradley 2 39 Kevin Magee Forward UC Irvine 3 61 Charles Pittman Forward Maryland 4 86 Rory White Forward South Alabama 5 108 Marvin McCrary Guard Missouri 6 130 Jake Bethany Center Hardin–Simmons 7 155 Phil Ward Guard North Carolina Charlotte 8 177 Rick Elrod Guard Georgetown (KY) 9 199 Ken Lyles Forward Washington 10 221 Dale Wilkinson Center Idaho State
Roster
Regular season
Standings
Playoffs
Game log
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 19 | Denver | W 121–108 | Dennis Johnson (28) | Dennis Johnson (12) | Dennis Johnson (8) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum11,901 | 1–0 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | April 21 | @ Denver | L 99–113 | Walter Davis (31) | James Edwards (9) | Dennis Johnson (5) | McNichols Sports Arena15,903 | 1–1 |- bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | April 24 | Denver | L 112–117 (OT) | Walter Davis (29) | Larry Nance (12) | Alvan Adams (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum14,660 | 1–2
Awards and honors
All-Star Maurice Lucas was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. Lucas finished first in voting among Western Conference forwards with 431,288 votes. It was his fifth All-Star selection. The other Suns player receiving All-Star votes was Dennis Johnson (306,470).
Season Dennis Johnson was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. Maurice Lucas finished 14th in MVP voting.
Player statistics
Season
|- align="center" bgcolor="" | || 80 || 75 || 30.6 || .486 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .333 || .829 || 6.9 || 4.7 || 1.4 || .9 || 14.2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | * || 45 || 2 || 12.2 || .430 || .000 || .759 || 2.9 || 1.3 || .3 || .3 || 3.6 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || 80 || 79 || 31.1 || .516 || .304 || .818 || 2.5 || 5.0 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 1.5 || .2 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 19.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | * || 16 || 1 || 17.8 || .487 || . || .660 || 3.7 || 1.7 || .3 || .3 || 8.8 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 82 || 2 || 14.1 || .461 || .200 || .463 || 1.8 || 1.9 || 1.0 || .4 || 3.2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 77 || 74 || 33.1 || .462 || .161 || .791 || 4.4 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 5.0 || 1.3 || .5 || 14.2 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || 54 || 4 || 8.5 || .423 || .000 || .875^ || 1.6 || 0.7 || .3 || .1 || 1.9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 77 || 71 || 33.6 || .474 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .333 || .781 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 10.4 || 2.8 || .7 || .6 || 16.5 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 82 || 9 || 22.4 || .517 || .303 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .872^ || 2.0 || 3.4 || .8 || .1 || 9.9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 82 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 82 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 35.5 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .550 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .333 || .672 || 8.7 || 2.4 || 1.2 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 2.6 || 16.7 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || 28 || 0 || 6.1 || .475 || .000 || .676 || 1.1 || 0.3 || .1 || .3 || 2.3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 81 || 9 || 14.1 || .479 || .000 || .736 || 2.8 || 1.2 || .6 || .4 || 4.1 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || 49 || 2 || 10.6 || .435 || .143 || .577 || 1.5 || 0.7 || .4 || .1 || 4.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 65 || 0 || 9.6 || .543 || .000 || .642 || 1.6 || 0.5 || .2 || .0 || 5.0
* – Stats with the Suns. ^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.
Playoffs
|- align="center" bgcolor="" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || 28.0 || .469 || . || .714 || 6.0 || 4.7 || .7 || 1.7 || 11.7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 37.7 || .435 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .500 || .810 || 5.0 || 4.3 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 2.0 || 1.7 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 26.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || 0 || 18.0 || .423 || . || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 1.000 || 6.0 || 1.3 || .3 || .3 || 9.3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || 0 || 15.0 || .455 || .000 || .000 || 3.3 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .3 || 3.3 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || 36.0 || .458 || .000 || .833 || 7.7 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 5.7 || 1.7 || .7 || 18.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 2 || 0 || 3.0 || .000 || . || . || 0.0 || 0.0 || .0 || .0 || 0.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || 2 || 2 || 28.5 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .571 || . || .500 || 6.0 || 4.0 || 1.5 || .0 || 13.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || 0 || 24.0 || .429 || .000 || .714 || 2.7 || 3.0 || .3 || .0 || 11.7 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || 34.3 || .400 || . || .800 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 8.3 || 1.0 || 1.0 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 2.0 || 12.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 1 || 0 || 1.0 || . || . || . || 0.0 || 0.0 || .0 || .0 || 0.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || 1 || 20.7 || .462 || . || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 1.000 || 4.0 || 1.7 || .7 || 1.7 || 4.7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 3 || 0 || 13.3 || .500 || .000 || .500 || 3.3 || 0.0 || .0 || .0 || 5.3
Transactions
Trades June 21, 1982 To Denver Nuggets Rich Kelley To Phoenix Suns 1982 first-round draft pick ( David Thirdkill) July 7, 1982 To New York Knicks Truck Robinson To Phoenix Suns Maurice Lucas February 7, 1983 To Cleveland Cavaliers Jeff Cook 1983 first-round draft pick ( Roy Hinson) 1983 third-round draft pick ( Derrick Hord) Cash considerations To Phoenix Suns James Edwards 1983 first-round draft pick ( Greg Kite)
Free agents
Additions Date Player Contract Old Team May 17, 1982 Art Housey Undisclosed July 7, 1982 Johnny High Undisclosed Phoenix Suns February 7, 1983 Charles Pittman Undisclosed Phoenix Suns
Subtractions Date Player Reason left New team July 1, 1982 Dudley Bradley Waived Chicago Bulls October 21, 1982 Art Housey Waived October 28, 1982 Charles Pittman Waived Phoenix Suns December 21, 1982 Craig Dykema Waived
References Standings on Basketball Reference